For nearly 40 years, NFL legal battles have been largely fought in Minneapolis federal court. According to a recent New York Timesarticle, this choice of location was determined decades ago by UW Law alum Nathan Feingsinger.

Feingsinger, who is well known for his mediation efforts in the 1944 telephone operators strike, the 1947 pineapple workers strike, the 1952 steel strike, and the 1966 New York City transit worker strike, was a UW Law professor when two of his students, Pat Richter of the Washington Redskins and Ken Bowman of the Green Bay Packers, asked his advice on who might represent the NFL players union for contract talks with the league.

Feingsinger suggested speaking to Leonard Lindquist, a founding partner of the Minneapolis firm Lindquist & Vennum. Eventually, one of the firm’s partners, Edward Glennon, became the union’s chief litigator, beginning a tradition that would make the Midwest court the focal point for many future NFL legal battles.